Does God Accept Me As I Am? - Soul Choice Ministries

God accepts people the way they are but that doesn’t mean He tolerates evil. We must live with a biblical worldview and not be influenced by society’s ungodly culture. We should be influencing the culture with God’s love and His uncompromising truth.

The first thing Jesus said in Matthew 4:17 was, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.”

Jesus preached repentance and obedience, not just love and acceptance. He told the man that He healed at the pool of Bethesda to go and sin no more. He told the woman caught in adultery to go and sin no more. He did not accept any belief that was contrary to the Gospel. He spoke out against many religious rules and some of their man-made laws that were against the scripture. Being loving does not mean we cater to everyone’s beliefs. We are in a spiritual war where there is clearly good against evil.

Spiritual warfare is won on our knees, but we must also take a stand against unrighteous laws. Proverbs 28:4 says, “They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them.”

Did you notice that the verse instructs us to contend with those who forsake the law? Of course, we are not to engage in violence. However, when we see evil behavior and laws harming others, especially children, we should be stirred to action and oppose these wicked laws.

Jesus is our supreme example of what we should stand for. How did Jesus treat others? He showed great love and compassion for those who were seeking Him. He gave an abundance of grace and forgiveness to the humble, but He gave God’s law to the proud. The proud or arrogant will always attempt to justify their behavior. Jesus showed them that they were not keeping the law. He condemned the highest religious leaders of His day, the Pharisees and scribes. They went so far as to make up rules that would excuse themselves from helping their aged parents, which violated the commandment of God.

He also told these hypocrites that they were evil for taking advantage of widows and stealing their inheritance. They would convince the widows that they should give their money to the work of God so they would give their inheritance thinking they were doing a good thing. The Pharisees would then take a big portion for themselves. The widows would have nothing, and have no means to provide for themselves.

He pointed out the hypocrisy of these leaders who made strict rules, but they themselves wouldn’t lift a finger to do what they insisted others do. Jesus also pointed out that they omitted the most important of the laws of God: Judgment, mercy and faith.

He called them white-washed sepulchres, hypocrites, full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness, full of extortion and excess, blind guides, serpents, generation of vipers, and asked, “how can you escape the damnation of hell!” He told them they were liars and from their father the devil. How’s that for loving and accepting!

He answered many of their trapping, condescending, and haughty questions with a question that they couldn’t answer. He outwitted them and confronted them with their evil. He never tried to appease them, or respond with what would be politically correct. He always spoke truth. Real love speaks the truth, and He said He is the truth.

There was a man who asked if he could go bury his father first before following him, and Jesus said, “Let the dead bury the dead.” He didn’t want him to be entangled with something the unsaved can attend to, but to follow Him and do the works of God (Luke 9:59).

Jesus also said if a person didn’t take up his cross daily to follow Him, then they are not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:38).

He told some who were sick to stop sinning. He said adultery was a sin. He called it sin, not an “issue.”

When Peter rebuked Jesus about Him being killed, he said, “Get thee behind me Satan.” He didn’t say to Peter, “I know you meant well so that’s ok.”

When Jesus stood before Pilate, Pilate told Him that He should speak to him because he had the power to set Him free. Jesus said in John 19:11, “You could have no power at all against me, except it were given you from above.”

He also didn’t cave to the threat of Herod wanting to kill Him. In Luke 13:31-33 it states, “The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, ‘Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.’ And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.”

There were many other bold things Jesus said and did. He was never timid nor did He cater to anyone’s feelings. He didn’t hide from the evil leaders of His day.

However, He displayed a great deal of love and compassion to all who came humbly to Him. In addition, He healed everyone that came to Him. He suffered a horrible death on the cross taking our place and paying the penalty for our sins.

There is nothing more loving than that.

We must always shoe love and forgiveness to everyone, but never compromise the Word of God, or cater to every ungodly belief.